Victims of sexual abuse are at the centre of a hard-hitting new BBC documentary.

The St Mary’s Centre, a sexual assault referral scheme based at the old hospital building, has allowed a crew to document the work of its doctors, crisis workers and counsellors for the show, entitled ‘The Unspeakable Crime: Rape’.

The one-hour film, by BBC One and Gold Star productions, will focus on services at St Mary’s SARC, which last year saw more than 1,200 patients.

The personal experiences of two women who have been raped are also shown. The film follows their account from initial reports to the court hearings.

One was attacked by a stranger on New Year’s Eve while the other had known and trusted her attacker for over a decade.

The programme shows the process of medical, forensic and psychological support and the police investigation, as well as the support they need at court. It features officers from Greater Manchester Police Sexual Offences Unit and the Crown Prosecution Service.

She said: “We get lots of approaches about filming but we’ve always been wary because victims can be very vulnerable. But the film makers said they wanted to create something to encourage victims to report.

“We wanted to encourage confidence in the system and wanted people in our area to know about St Mary’s services – not just forensic examinations, not just the police, but the fact we are open to men and women, that we deal with historic and recent assault, to dispel the myths and stereotypes around sexual violence and show the whole breadth of what happens.”

She added: “Patients who took part were incredibly brave. Lots of people, some of whom couldn’t be shown in the end for legal reasons, did it because they wanted to help others.”

The centre deals with recent and historic assaults and come in through the police or by themselves. They undergo forensic examinations, have therapeutic help and samples are taken.

Discussions take place over emergency contraception and whether medication is needed for risks like hepatitis B and HIV.

They decide whether it’s safe to go home, if there are child protection issues and if practical support is needed.

The film follows Gail Morgan who works at the centre.

Her job is to offer advice, support them through interviews and liaise with the police if they choose to report it.

“There is also counselling for family members. Dr White added: “Lots of people don’t tell anybody when they have been a victim of sexual violence.

“We want people to at least call us so they can make a decision which is right for them.”

The unspeakable Crime: Rape is on BBC One on Tuesday, June 4 at 10.35pm .

‘I am a woman who has found the strength to survive and move forward’

Juliet (Image: Jon Baxter)

Juliet says she was just an average woman leading a regular life – until her life was changed forever when she was rpaed.

But refusing to live her life as a victim, she has bravely waived her anonymity to speak out and encourage others to seek help.

A teaching assistant and swimming instructor, Juliet, now 41, was living in Didsbury when she was attacked on New Year’s Eve 2011.

When a friend cancelled their night out, she went on her own to a bar in the city centre. It was there she believes her drink was spiked in a phenomenon called ‘sharking’, where predators drug vulnerable victims and wait for the effects.

Just before a two-hour black out, CCTV viewed in court showed her slumped against a wall for 40 minutes, and a lamp post for 20, before she was led round a corner where the attack took place.

After help from the St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and support from police, Juliet testified against her rapist and he was convicted.

She says she would not have had the strength to testify without the support of staff at the centre, counsellors and the police. But it has been a long and emotional journey for Juliet, who woke up the morning after her attack and knew instantly something was wrong.

She said: “I had come back having been robbed of my bag and had to be let in by my neighbour.

“The next morning I woke up and it was like a bang, I was awake. I didn’t want to move, I knew something was very wrong. Hours of my life had gone, a complete black-out.”

Juliet went into town to try to find her bag.

She said: “I wasn’t thinking straight, I didn’t want to register it. And then I saw the alleyway and I had this flashback, it was like I was watching myself in black and white. It was a shockwave. And I knew then.

“I can still see that alleyway where it happened. Bam, reality smacks you in the face.”

She returned home, picked up the phone and told police she’d been robbed and sexually assaulted.

She said: “They believed me without question and from that moment my body became a crime scene. I was told not to wash, eat, drink and to keep my clothes. And they got someone to me.”

Specialist rape officers came to her home and she was taken to St Mary’s.

Juliet says she could not have got through the following months without the support she received.

She said: “I felt like all these different people were holding the corners of a safety blanket and they were all there to help you and keep you safe.”

She testified by video and then from behind a screen in court. “I didn’t want to look at the man who had raped me but it was important to appear again. The video showed a different version of me, but I wanted the jury to hear my story, to have that human contact, to see my fear and my bravery.”

Juliet is calling for victims to come forward and to take advantage of all the resources on offer. She said: “If you are a victim, report it. Allow yourself to be supported and know you will be believed.

“They don’t ask questions about your sexual history, how much you had to drink or what you were wearing – that doesn’t happen any more.

“There are places you can go to like St Mary’s where regardless of whether you choose to go to the police you will be taken care of, counselled and comforted.”

She added: “The experience has completely altered me.

“I second think everything. I’m no longer a party-goer, I’m a bystander. But I won’t let it define me, I will not have the identity of a rape victim.

“I’m a woman who has found the strength to survive this trauma and move forward with my life thanks to the support of my family and so many others.

“I think there are still archaic opinions and attitudes towards what is a taboo subject. I feel it’s important to give a voice to the silent victims of rape.

“This is about making sense out of a senseless situation, it bizarrely gives a purpose to what happened to me.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of, this wasn’t my fault. I’m just an average woman who was leading an average life who became a victim of rape.”